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If you started your pregnancy with a raised body mass index (BMI) you may worry about how you can manage your weight. We've got some advice to help you have a healthy pregnancy.

I have a high BMI, should I try to lose weight now I'm pregnant?

No, pregnancy is definitely not the time to go on a diet. Restricting how much food you eat could be harmful to you and your developing baby. Some diets can leave you low on nutrients such as iron, folic acid and other important vitamins and minerals.

It is true that having a high BMI can increase your chances of developing health problems, such as high blood pressure or pre-eclampsia (CKS 2010). However, if you had a high BMI at the start of your pregnancy, restricting your diet now won't make you or your baby healthier.

You may lose some weight without even trying to, despite the extra weight you're carrying from your growing baby. In the first trimester, pregnancy nausea can diminish your appetite, and vomiting can cause you to lose calories. Also, adopting a different lifestyle during pregnancy, such as taking more exercise or eating more healthily could mean you burn more calories.

Your baby will still get all the energy he needs, though. You have an extra reserve of calories in stored fat. So as your baby grows it's fine for you to maintain the same weight or even lose a little.

Instead of thinking about dieting, look on these nine months as part of a larger story. You probably put on your extra weight during the years before you got pregnant.

So rather than worrying about losing weight now, use this time to develop the good eating habits that will carry you through the rest of your life. This will help you lose the weight after your baby is born.

How much weight should I gain during pregnancy?

Looking at the whole of your pregnancy, you are probably going to put on some weight. By the time you come to give birth, you'll be carrying quite a cargo!

Most of this weight should come from your growing baby and the changes that are happening to your body during pregnancy. Do your best to limit how much body fat you put on.

There are no official guidelines for weight gain in pregnancy in the UK. There is advice from the US Institute of Medicine that you can go by. Depending on your BMI, they suggest you aim for the following weight gain by the end of your pregnancy:

If you have a BMI of more than 30, you should gain between 5kg and 9kg.

If you have a BMI of between 25 and 20.9, you should gain between 7kg and 11kg.

How can I eat healthily?

You're recommended to have about 2,000 calories a day (NHS 2010). You don't need any more than that until the last three months of your pregnancy, when you'll need an extra 200 calories a day. You can get the extra 200 calories from, for example, a slice of toast with baked beans or a bowl of wholegrain cereal with semi-skimmed milk (NHS 2011).

To eat healthily, try to have good balance of the following foods each day:

Bread, pasta, potatoes, rice and cereals (carbohydrates). Go for wholegrain varieties, such as brown rice and pasta, and wholemeal bread. These have a low glycaemic index, which means they break down more slowly and release energy more gradually compared to white varieties. Try to ensure that these starchy foods make up a third of what you eat daily.

Fruit and vegetables, at least five portions a day. These should make up another third of what you eat daily.

Dairy products, such as milk, yoghurt and cheese. You could go for low-fat versions.

You don't need to have food or drink that is high in fat or sugar, such as biscuits, cakes or fizzy drinks. However, it won't do you any harm to have them occasionally and in small amounts. You can get an idea of the right balance of foods to have daily from the Food Standards Agency's eatwell plate.

It may help to see a registered dietitian or another health professional who has experience of working with overweight pregnant women. They can help you to find out how to make the best of your nutrient intake without loading up on calories.

Also try our pregnancy meal planners for each trimester of your pregnancy to give you some ideas for easy, healthy recipes.

Can exercise help me manage my weight?

Yes, taking some exercise can help you to stay a healthy weight (Artal et al 2010). It will also improve your physical fitness ready for labour (Kramer and McDonald 2006).

In fact, taking exercise alongside a healthy diet will help you manage your weight better than just having a eating well (Artal et al 2007). Exercise may also mean you're less likely to have large baby (Artal et al 2007).

You could begin with walking, as it's convenient and is free to do. A reasonable goal to set yourself would be to walk for up to 15 minutes a day, three times a week. Then gradually build this up to 30 or 40 minutes a day (NICE 2010).

You could also try to build in a swim once a week. Set yourself targets of, say, 10 lengths in the first week then 15 the next week, and so on.

Or sign up for an antenatal yoga or pilates classes in your area. This gives you a set time every week when you know you'll be exercising.

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Comments

Dear member, If you want to know about how to achieve a natural pregnancy, increase the fertility, how to do a healthy diet, information about kinds of sex positions, ovulation, healthy food, women cycle, and many other things, I suggest you to visit this site: aboutgettingpregnant.com I'm sure you will get a whole bunch of the best methods and information about pregnancy in the website.

Dear member, If you want to know about how to achieve a natural pregnancy, increase the fertility, how to do a healthy diet, information about kinds of sex positions, ovulation, healthy food, women cycle, and many other things, I suggest you to visit this site: aboutgettingpregnant.com I'm sure you will get a whole bunch of the best methods and information about pregnancy in the website.

Thank you for the guidness
I have got Ceribal Palsy diseases and now iam 32 week pregnent ... so while doing any exercise i felt pain ... so whether i should do exercise???
My doctor told myself will be operation only ... because how much my pelvic can expand they are not sure....

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